A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

§. Sect. 8 That we must read orderly with diligence and constancy.

§. Sect. 8 That we must reade orderly with diligence and constancy.

The last rule to be observed in our reading, is, that we proceed in it after an orderly manner, with diligence and constancy, and not by fits and snatches, here a Chapter and there another, or only the beginnings of books, and then laying them aside, and taking others in hand, ⟨p. 648⟩of which we are as soon weary as of the former, only out of novelty and to feed our vain curiosity, without any true desire of edification and spiritual profit. But when upon sound advice, we have made choice of a book, we are not to give it over till we come to the end. Yea if we find it sound and savoury, useful and profitable, we are to read it again and again, as before I have showed, never thinking that we have perused it sufficiently, till we have thoroughly understood it, laid it up in our memories, applied it to our hearts, and drawn it into use and practice. The which constant course, as we must observe in our study of other godly books, so especially in reading the holy Scriptures, the which must not be read by pieces without order, as the Book happeneth to open, when we take it into our hand, but the best way is, in our ordinary course to begin at the beginning, and so to proceed till we come to the end. The which will be a notable help both for the understanding of the matter, and the History of the Bible, when as we observe the coherence, and how one thing dependeth upon another: which if it be interrupted, causeth much obscurity, and maketh us unacquainted with the whole Counsel of God, seeing by reason of this confusion, we shall read many things often, and as many others never at all. The which rule hath place in our ordinary course of reading only: for upon extraordinary occasions, it is fit and necessary to read in any place as the occasion requireth; As also some special parts of holy Scriptures, more often then others, which are most full and fertile of spiritual instructions, and most profitable for edification, which out of our ordinary course we may read, when we get any fit leisure and opportunity. Again, though in our ordinary reading no portion of Scriptures is always to be passed over, seeing all is profitable for some uses and purposes;